Social Security clawbacks become more intense this week
(NewsNation) — The Social Security Administration is about to get more aggressive in recovering overpayments made to recipients.
On Thursday, the agency will revert back to withholding 100% of monthly benefits from overpaid accounts until the complete sum has been collected. Last year, the SSA, citing financial concerns for recipients, eased back on overpayment collections by withholding only 10% until the debt was erased.
People whose Social Security benefits were garnisheed prior to this week's change will be grandfathered in to the 10% rate of collection, officials said.
Your Morning: Are millions of dead people receiving Social Security benefits?
SSA officials say they expect to collect $7 billion more over the next decade under the reversal.
'We have the significant responsibility to be good stewards of the trust funds for the American people,' Lee Dudek, acting commissioner of Social Security, said in an online post earlier this month. 'It is our duty to revise the overpayment repayment policy back to full withholding, as it was during the Obama administration and first Trump administration, to properly safeguard taxpayer funds.'
Recipients can ask for a lower recovery rate on their benefits or challenge the finding of overpayment by contacting Social Security at 800-772-1213 or going to their local office.
The withholding rate for Supplemental Security Income overpayments will remain 10%, officials said.
The change comes as the Social Security Administration is being targeted for a 'significant' level of job cuts as part of a broader downsizing of government.
Critics allege the SSA system is rife with fraud. The agency has announced plans requiring some recipients to appear in-person at a field office to verify their identity.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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